Weaving tool used to push the weft yarn securely into place
A beater or
batten, is a
weavingtool designed to push the
weft yarn securely into place. In small hand weaving such as
Inkle weaving and
tablet weaving the beater may be combined with the
shuttle into a single tool. In
rigid heddle looms the beater is combined with the
heddles. Beaters appear both in a hand-held form, and as an integral part of a
loom.[1]
Hand beaters must have enough mass to force the weaving into place, so they come in a variety of weights and sizes. Some may have
lead inserts to provide additional heft for a smaller beater, and some are made entirely from metal.
Loom beaters typically take the form of a bar mounted across the loom. The actual beating is done by a metal insert known as a
reed, which contains a number of slots, known as dents, which the
warp threads pass through. This is the more common form, as floor looms and mechanized looms both use a beater with a reed.
Coast Salish sword beater, North American west coast
Sword beaters (or battens) on upright looms are indeed swung like a sword
Sword beater on an Ancient Egyptian horizontal ground-pegged loom, being held by two people
Bone sword beater (2) and adjacent bone pin beater (3), Iron age, Middle East